o his apostles and his whole church equally,
infallible rules and marks to determine whether, or not, the spiritual
leprosy was gone, that they might clean the leper and tell him,

I clean thee, | I forgive thy sins,
or | or
I unclean thee. | I retain thy sins.

I would have, indeed, many passages of the Old and New Testaments to copy,
were it my intention to reproduce all the marks given by God Himself,
through his prophets, or by Christ and apostles, that His ambassadors might
know when they should say to the sinner that he was delivered from his
iniquities. I will give only a few.

First: "And he said unto them, go ye into all the world and preach the
gospel to every creature:

"He that believeth and is baptised, shall be saved: but he that believeth
not shall be damned." (Mark xvi. 15, 16.)

What a strange want of memory in the Saviour of the world! He has entirely
forgotten that "Auricular Confession," besides Faith and Baptism are
necessary to be saved! To those who believe and are baptised, the apostles
and the church are authorised by Christ to say: "You are saved! your sins
are forgiven! I clean you!"

Second: "And when ye come into an house, salute it.

"And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not
worthy, let your peace return to you.

"And whose soever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye
depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

"Verily, verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of
Sodom and Gomorrha, in the day of Judgment, than for that city." (Math x.
12-15.)

Here again the Great Physician tells his disciples when the leprosy will be
gone, the sins forgiven, the soul purified. It is when the lepers, the
sinners, will have welcomed his messengers, heard and received their
message. Not a word about auricular confession: this great panacea of the
Pope's was evidently ignored by Christ.

Third: "If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also
forgive you--But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your
Father forgive your trespasses." (Math vi. 14, 15.)

Was it possible to give a more striking and simple rule to the Apostles and
the Disciples that they might know when they could say to a sinner: "Thy
sins are forgiven!" or, "Thy sins are retained?" Here the double keys of
heaven are most solemnly and publicly given to every child of